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Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers

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Rituparna Nath

Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams | Updated On - Jan 7, 2023

Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers is taken from E-ENG-school IELTS Reading Test With Answers Key. Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers contains 13 IELTS reading questions along with supporting sentences, keywords, and explanations. This makes it easier for aspirants to understand the IELTS reading passage Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers easily. The different types of question that this topic- Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers contains: Matching heading and no more than 2 words. Candidates can follow IELTS Reading practice papers for different topics like Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers and more.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Serendipity: The Accidental Scientists Reading Answers

  1. A paradox lies close to the heart of scientific discovery. If you know just what you are looking for, finding it can hardly count as a discovery, since it was fully anticipated. But if, on the other hand, you have no notion of what you are looking for, you cannot know when you have found it, and discovery, as such, is out of the question. In the philosophy of science, these extremes map onto the purest forms of deductivism and inductivism: In the former, the outcome is supposed to be logically contained in the premises you start with; in the latter, you are recommended to start with no expectations whatsoever and see what turns up.
  2. As in so many things, the ideal position is widely supposed to reside somewhere in between these two impossible-to-realize extremes. You want to have a good enough idea of what you are looking for to be surprised when you find something else of value, and you want to be ignorant enough of your end point that you can entertain alternative outcomes. Scientific discovery should, therefore, have an accidental aspect, but not too much of one. Serendipity is a word that expresses a position something like that. It’s a fascinating word, and the late Robert King Merton—the father of the sociology of science’—liked it well enough to compose its biography, assisted by the French cultural historian Elinor Barber.
  3. Serendipity means a “happy accident’ or ‘pleasant surprise’; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. The first noted use of serendipity in the English language was by Horace Walpole (1717-1792). In a letter to Horace Mann (dated 28 January 1754) he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes ‘were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of’. The name stems from Serendip, an old name for Sri Lanka.
  4. Besides antiquarians, the other community that came to dwell on serendipity to say something important about their practice was that of scientists. Many scientists, including the Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon and, later, the British immunologist Peter Medawar, liked to emphasize how much of scientific discovery was unplanned and even accidental. One of Cannon’s favorite examples of such serendipity is Luigi Galvani’s observation of the twitching of dissected frogs’ legs, hanging from a copper wire, when they accidentally touched an iron railing, leading to the discovery of ‘galvanismo; another is Hans Christian Orsted’s discovery of electromagnetism when he unintentionally brought a current-carrying wire parallel to a magnetic needle. The context in which scientific serendipity was most contested and had its greatest resonance was that connected with the idea of planned science. The serendipitists were not all inhabitants of academic ivory towers. Two of the great early-20th-century American pioneers of industrial research-Willis Whitney and Irving Langmuir, both of General Electric—made much play of serendipity, in the course of arguing against overly rigid research planning.
  5. Yet what Cannon and Medawar took as a benign method, other scientists found incendiary To say that science had a significant serendipitous aspect was taken by some as dangerous denigration. If scientific discovery were really accidental, then what was the special basis of expert authority?
  6. In this connection, the aphorism of choice came from no less an authority on scientific discovery than Louis Pasteur: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Accidents may happen, and things may turn up unplanned and unforeseen, as one is looking for something else, but the ability to notice such events, to see their potential bearing and meaning, to exploit their occurrence and make constructive use of them—these are the results of systematic mental preparation. What seems like an accident is just another form of expertise. On closer inspection, it is insisted, accident dissolves into sagacity
  7. In 1936, as a very young man, Merton wrote a seminal essay on “The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action.” It is, he argued, the nature of social action that what one intends is rarely what one gets: Intending to provide resources for buttressing Christian religion, the natural philosophers of the Scientific Revolution laid the groundwork for secularism people wanting to be alone with nature in Yosemite Valley wind up crowding one another. We just don’t know enough—and we can never know enough—to ensure that the past is an adequate guide to the future: Uncertainty about outcomes, even of our best-laid plans, is endemic. All social action, including that undertaken with the best evidence and formulated according to the most rational criteria, is uncertain in its consequences.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 28-33:
Reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet.

List of headings

(i) The origin of serendipity
(ii) Horace Walpole’s fairy tale
(iii) Arguments against serendipity
(iv) Two basic knowledge in the paradox of scientific discovery
(v) The accidental evidences in and beyond science
(vi) organization’s movement Opposing against the authority
(vii) Accident and mental preparation
(viii) Planned research and anticipated outcome
(ix) The optimum balance between the two extremes

  1. Paragraph A

Answer: (iv) Two basic knowledge in the paradox of scientific discovery
Supporting Sentence: A paradox lies close to the heart of scientific discovery.
Keywords: paradox, fully anticipated
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, line 1 – line 4
Explanation: According to the following sentences from Paragraph A, a contradiction is at the centre of scientific discovery. If you know exactly what you're searching for, discovering it is scarcely a discovery because it was entirely anticipated. However, if you have no idea what you're looking for, you won't know when you've found it, therefore discovery as such is not in the question. This denotes the two fundamental conceptions or pieces of information underlying the paradox of scientific advancement. Hence, the answer is iv.

  1. Paragraph B

Answer: (ix) The optimum balance between the two extremes
Supporting Sentence: As in so many things, the ideal position is widely supposed to reside somewhere in between these two impossible-to-realize extremes.
Keywords: ideal position
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, line 1 – line 4
Explanation: As mentioned in paragraph B, the optimum position is commonly assumed to be somewhere in between such two impossible-to-realize extremes. You want to have a solid enough notion of what you're searching for to be astonished. When you uncover another item of value, but you also want to remain ignorant of your final goal enough to consider alternate possibilities. This argues that during scientific discovery, there is an ideal moment between understanding what you want to find and not knowing what you wish to find. So, the answer is ix.

  1. Paragraph C

Answer: (i) The origin of serendipity
Supporting Sentence: Many scientists, including the Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon and, later, the British immunologist Peter Medawar, liked to emphasize how much of scientific discovery was unplanned and even accidental.
Keywords: British immunologist Peter Medawar, discovery was unplanned
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, line 1 – line 3
Explanation: Serendipity is defined as a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise" in paragraph C. Especially, the accident of discovering something nice or valuable without seeking for it. Horace Walpole was the first person to use the word serendipity inside the English language (1717-1792). This definitely demonstrates that Horace Walpole was the first to introduce the term serendipity. As a result, the answer is i.

  1. Paragraph D

Answer: (v) The accidental evidences in and beyond science
Supporting Sentence: Many scientists, including the Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon and, later, the British immunologist Peter Medawar, liked to emphasize how much of scientific discovery was unplanned and even accidental.
Keywords: British immunologist Peter Medawar
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, line 1 – line 3
Explanation: According to paragraph D Many scientists preferred to underline how much of scientific discovery was unexpected and even accidental. These scientists included the Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon as well as, subsequently, the British immunologist Peter Medawar. One of Cannon's favourite instances of this kind of serendipity is Luigi Galvani's assessment of the twitching of dissected frog legs hanging from a copper wire. When they unintentionally touched an iron railing, which led to the discovery of "galvanismo." Another example is Hans Christian Orsted's accidental paralleling of a current-carrying wire with a magnetic needle, which led to the discovery of electromagnetism. This suggests that there is proof of unintentional scientific discovery. The answer is thus v.

  1. Paragraph E

Answer: (iii) Arguments against serendipity
Supporting Sentence: Cannon and Medawar took as a benign method, other scientists found incendiary To say that science had a significant serendipitous aspect was taken by some as dangerous denigration.
Keywords: benign method, significant serendipitous
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: According to paragraph E, other scientists found a procedure that Cannon and Medawar thought was innocuous to be explosive. Some people saw the statement that science had a substantial serendipitous component as a hazardous denigration. What was the unique foundation of expert authority if scientific discoveries were truly accidental? This suggests that serendipity is not universally viewed favourably. The solution is therefore iii.

  1. Paragraph F

Answer: (vii) Accident and mental preparation
Supporting Sentence: Accidents may happen, and things may turn up unplanned and unforeseen, as one is looking for something else, but the ability to notice
Keywords: unplanned and unforeseen
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, line 2 – line 6
Explanation: Accidents may occur, and things may appear unexpectedly while one is looking for someone else. The ability to start noticing such events, to understand their possible significance, to take advantage of their occurrence. To use them constructively are the outcomes of systematic mental preparation, according to paragraph E. This implies that although accidents can happen at any time, making advantage of them requires rigorous mental preparation. The solution is thus vii.

Questions 34-36:
Complete the summary below, using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.

The word “serendipity’ was coined in the writing of 34………….to Horace Mann. He derived it from a 35………., the characters of which were always making fortunate discoveries by accident. The stem Serendip was a former name for 36………..

Question 34:

Answer: Horace Walpole
Supporting Sentence: The first noted use of serendipity in the English language was by Horace Walpole (1717-1792).
Keywords: serendipity in the English language
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, line 2 – line 3
Explanation: According to paragraph E, Horace Walpole used serendipity for the first time in written English (1717-1792). This demonstrates categorically that Horace Walpole used the term "serendipity" before. Horace Walpole is the appropriate response.

Questions 35:

Answer: Fairy Tale
Supporting Sentence: In a letter to Horace Mann (dated 28 January 1754) he said he formed it from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip. Whose heroes ‘were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of’.
Keywords: Three Princes of Serendip, accidents and sagacity
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, line 3 – line 4
Explanation: According to paragraph E, he said that he based it on the Persian fairy tale. The Three Princes of Serendip. Where characters were perpetually making discoveries, by mishaps and sagacity, of things they were not in pursuit of in a letter to Horace Mann (dated 28 January 1754). This suggests that a fairy tale was the source of the word serendipity.

Questions 36:

Answer: Sri Lanka
Supporting Sentence: The name stems from Serendip, an old name for Sri Lanka.
Keywords: stems from Serendip
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, line 4
Explanation: According to paragraph C, the name is derived from Serendip, a historic name for Sri Lanka. This obviously indicates that Serendip is an old name for Sri Lanka.

Questions 37-40:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.

Question 37: What does ‘inductivism’ mean in paragraph A?

  1. observation without anticipation at the beginning
  2. Looking for what you want in the premise
  3. The expected discovery
  4. The map we pursued

Answer: A observation without anticipation at the beginning
Supporting Sentence: In the philosophy of science, these extremes map onto the purest forms of deductivism and inductivism
Keywords: deductivism and inductivism
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, line 4 – line 7
Explanation: The paragraph C mentions that These extremes correspond to the highest kinds of deductivism and inductivism in philosophy of science. In the former, the conclusion is thought to be logically included in the premises you start with. Later, you are advised to start with no expectations at all and see what pops up. This suggests that inductivism refers to first observation without expectation. Hence, the answer is A.

Question 38: Scientific discovery should

  1. be much of an accidental aspect
  2. be full of value
  3. be between the two extremes
  4. be skeptical

Answer: C be between the two extremes
Supporting Sentence: As in so many things, the ideal position is widely supposed to reside somewhere in between these two impossible-to-realize extremes.
Keywords: ideal position, two impossible-to-realize extreme
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, line 1 – line 5
Explanation: Paragraph C Like so many other things, the optimum posture is usually assumed to be somewhere in the middle of these two impossible-to-achieve extremes. You want to have a solid enough notion of what you're searching for to be astonished when you uncover something else of value. You also want to remain ignorant of your final goal enough to consider alternate possibilities. As a result, scientific discovery should include an accidental component, but not too much of one." This implies that scientific discoveries should fall somewhere in the middle. As a result, the correct answer is C.

Question 39: The writer mentions Luigi Galvani’s observation to illustrate

  1. the cruelty of frog’s dissection
  2. the happy accident in scientific discovery
  3. the practice of scientists
  4. the rigid research planning

Answer: B the happy accident in scientific discovery
Supporting Sentence: One of Cannon’s favourite examples of such serendipity is Luigi Galvani’s observation of the twitching of dissected frogs’ legs, hanging from a copper wire.
Keywords: twitching of dissected frogs’ legs
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, line 1 – line 5
Explanation: Paragraph B says that one of Cannon's favourite examples of such serendipity is Luigi Galvani's observation of the twitching of dissected frogs' legs. The dangling on a copper wire, when they accidently brushed an iron railing, leading to the discovery of 'galvanismo'. This suggests that Luigi Galvani unintentionally uncovered something important. As a result, the author wishes to demonstrate the fortunate accident in scientific discovery. As a result, the correct answer is B.

Question 40: Why does the writer mention the example in Yosemite Valley in paragraph G?

  1. To illustrate the importance of a systematic plan
  2. To illustrate there is an unpredictable reality towards the expectation
  3. To illustrate the original anticipation
  4. To illustrate that intention of social action is totally meaningless

Answer: B To illustrate there is an unpredictable reality towards the expectation
Supporting Sentence: Intending to provide resources for buttressing Christian religion, the natural philosophers of the Scientific Revolution laid the groundwork
Keywords: resources for buttressing Christian religion, natural philosophers
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, line 3 – line 8
Explanation: According to paragraph G, the philosophes of the Scientific Revolution lay the framework for secularism. By intending to supply resources to buttress Christian faith. People wishing to commune with nature in Yosemite National park end up crowding one another. We just don't know enough—and will never know enough—to assure that the past is a reliable predictor of the future. Uncertainty regarding the results of our best-laid intentions is widespread. This demonstrates the unpredictability of expectations, which is why the writer uses Yosemite Valley as an example. As a result, the correct answer is B.

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